Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Mao Must Be Doing a Triple Roundoff Something or Other in His Grave

And other thoughts on the Olympics:

1. I never get tired of hearing The Star-Spangled Banner being played. I especially love it when an athlete sings along. I'm a sap, what can I say?

2. Welcome Sight: Michael Phelps swimming over to congratulate Ian Thorpe on his gold in the 200m Freestyle. It was refreshing to see the Americans and the Australians not acting like jerks towards each other. And Phelps' attitude in the follow-up interview was refreshing. He seemed genuine when he said that he was happy to have at least 1 gold medal, that he felt honored to have the chance just to compete against Thorpe, that he's enjoying the Olympics, and that he is taking one race at a time. All the cliche stuff you'd expect from an olympian, but he seemed to mean it.

3. As much of a patriot as I am, I hope Greece hands the Nightmare Team its collective rump. It's an embarassment to have them represent the USA -- not because of their loss to Puerto Rico, but because of their prima donna, spoiled, selfish attitudes.

4. No country's athletic program reflects its totalitarianism the way the PRC's does. They take children at a young age, put them in training centers far from their homes, they see their parents once or twice a year, and extreme pressure is placed on them to win. GOLD. This is especially true in gymnastics. Yesterday, in the men's team competition, Japan won Gold for the first time since 1960. The USA won Silver, its first medal since 1984 and its first medal in a non-boycotted games since 1932. Romania, more well known for its womens team, won the Bronze.

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First they came for Logic, and I did not speak out, for I did not think logically. Then they came for Reason, and I did not speak out, for I did not think reasonably. Then they came for Thesis and Synthesis, and I did not speak out, for I did not think synthetically. Finally they came for me, and I could no longer think for myself.